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From: <>
Subject: Some early County Down info
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 23:07:28 EDT


I'm researching Hills in County Down and am sharing some relevant info I just
discovered, tucked away in a binder from research I did several years ago at
Sutro Genealogical Library in San Francisco.

I xeroxed a page from GRAVESTONE INSCRIPTIONS, COUNTY DOWN, which details the
history of "Arthur 1st Viscount DUNGANNON, obt. Jany 31st 1771. He was the
2nd son of Michael HILL, Esqr. of Hillsborough in the county of Down and
brother of Trevor, Visc. Hillsborough." Arthur was a Parliamentary
representative for County Down, and "In 1755, having succeeded to the estates
of his maternal grandfather, Sir John Trevor of Brynkinalt in the county of
Denbigh, North Wales and Knightsbridge in the county of Middlesex, sometime
speaker of the House of Commons, and Master of the Rolls in the reigns of King
William III and Queen Anne, he assumed the name and arms of Trevor, and in
1765 was raised to the Peerage." This goes on a while, and is taken from a
memorial tablet on the wall of the church in the parish of Knockbreda. (I was
disappointed he would change his name from Hill to Trevor.)

In another volume, THE SCOTS-IRISH by Charles A. Hanna 1985, I found an
account of Ireland taken from Sir William Brereton's account of his "Travels
in Holland the United Provinces, England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1634-5."
Maybe this is a well known publication to you "old timers" on this mailing
list, if so, please disregard my eagerness to share it!

Reference is made to "Mr. Arthur Hill (son and heir to Sir Moyses Hill),"
noting that Arthur "hath a brave plantation" (near Belfast), "which he holds
by lease, which still is for thirty years to come; the land is my Lord
Chichester's, and the lease was made for sixty years to Sir Moyses Hill by the
old Lord Chichester." It goes on, "Many Lankashire and Cheshire men are here
planted; with some of them I conversed. They sit upon a rack rent, and pay
5s. or 6s. an acre for good ploughing land."
......................
"The King had a natural love to have Ireland planted with Scots, as being,
beside their loyalty, of a middle temper, between the English tender and the
Irish rude breeding, and a great deal more like to adventure to plant Ulster
than the English."
......................
Later: "Moses Hill had woodlands given him, which being thereafter
demolished, left a fair and beautiful country, where a late heir of the Hills
built a town called Hillsborough. All these lands and more were given to the
English gentlemen, worthy persons, who afterwards increased and made noble and
loyal families in places where formerly had been nothing but robbing, treason,
and rebellion. Of the Scots nation, there was a family of the Balfours, of
the Forbesses, of the Grahames, two of the Stewarts, and not a few of the
Hamiltons. The Macdonnells founded the earldom of Antrim by King James's
gift, the Hamiltons the earldoms of Strabane and Clanbrassil, and there were
besides several knights of that name, Sir Frederick, Sir George, Sir Francis,
Sir Charles his son, and Sir Hans, all Hamiltons; for they prospered above all
others in this country after the first admittance of the Scots into it."

Other names mentioned briefly in the few pages I xeroxed include: the Shaws,
the Calderwoods, Boyds, of the Keiths came from the North.. . .the Maxwells,
Rosses, Barclays, Moors, Bayleys, and others..."

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NOTE: Is my impression correct that Moses and the Hills who began the town of
Hillsborough were of ENGLISH DESCENT?

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